REVIEWS OF MOVIES AND TV SERIES CURRENTLY (OR SOON TO BE) RELEASED ON DVD.

Monday, August 28, 2006

The Simpsons (Season 8) DVD

One of the best TV shows of the modern era, or for that matter any era, The Simpsons rekindled the popularity of the prime time animation genre. A blockbuster series filled with a diverse cast of characters from the fictional town Springfield, the series aided the upstart FOX network in its rise from second-rate TV channel to the elite status of a major network like CBS, NBC, or ABC. This overwhelming success opened the door for a number of similar animated series such as Futurama (1999), The Family Guy (1999), and King Of The Hill (1997). With arguably of the best collection of writing talent in the TV industry, The Simpsons has managed to maintain consistency as one of the funniest shows on television – quite an accomplishment given the length of its run.

The Simpsons (Season 8) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “Treehouse of Horror VII,” one of the best of the annual Simpson Halloween episodes. The three stories covered include the discovery of Bart’s evil twin in the attic, Lisa’s creation of an alternative universe, and an alien invasion propagated by Bob Dole and Bill Clinton look-alikes. Other notable episodes from Season 8 include “A Milhouse Divided” in which Milhouse’s parents decide to get a divorce, prompting Homer and Marge to take sides in the separation, and “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show” in which Homer becomes the voiceover for the highly anticipated arrival of Poochie, a new character on the Itchy & Scratchy Show. But things take a turn for the worst when reviews of Poochie are unanimously derogatory.